Report: Junior with disability fighting to be a cheerleader

A high school junior born without full arms and legs who is in marching band and pep squad wants to be a cheerleader at Aurora High School in Omaha, Nebraska. Despite trying out three times, she’s not made the squad. She and her parents are not happy about it, reports the Omaha World-Herald:

Last month, she and her parents, Mike and Carolyn Sullivan, asked the Aurora school board to correct what they see as “scoring errors” in her tryout evaluations this spring, saying she was given no accommodation for her disability.

Their attorney cited the Americans With Disabilities Act and other federal laws that prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities. They also asked the board to adopt policies specifying that such discrimination won’t be tolerated and that the district will make accommodations to avoid it.

On Monday, the board declined to take up the matter after meeting in closed session.

The school district says it doesn’t think it’s a violation of the disibilities act.